Cliché your Christmas

Do Christmas and New Year ever feel like an anti-climax? It’s the most celebrated holiday of the year, so why does this happen? I’d hazard a guess that it’s because you don’t wear sequins. Now I know this sounds ridiculous, and okay there probably isn’t a direct correlation between the amount of sequins you wear and the amount of fun you have over the holidays but I do think it’s a clever, if slightly clichéd, way to spice up the festive season.

It’s hard enough trying to feel festive while we’re stumped as to how we’re going to afford Christmas presents this year, not to mention the small problem of having to feed ourselves off of what’s left of our loan before we head home. However, I have noticed how different cities have their own particular dress-code when it comes to going out, varying from smart-casual to Essex-style glam. Personally, I find Leeds to be on the more low-key side of the glam spectrum. If we can start drinking in the Old Bar at lunch on a Friday, why can’t we carry on drinking in the same outfit (maybe with a little bit of sprucing up if we have time) taking us all the way to Fruity that night? Take Hi-Fi on a Sunday for example; hi-tops and shorts are dubbed as the most appropriate ‘cool’ attire, with heels being left at the back of the wardrobe for a special occasion. I can’t remember the last time I wore a dress and heels out in Leeds. If you do hit Leeds every Saturday in a new All Saints sparkly number, then good for you. If you don’t - Christmas is your chance.

Take advantage of the time of year and the trends of autumn/winter 2012. Flapper style is everywhere thanks to the upcoming and loooong-awaited Great Gatsby film with Leonardo Di’Caprio and Carey Mulligan. The roaring 20’s is the epitome of glitz and glamour. The great (Gatsby) thing about it is that you can still nail the trend with a subtle dropped-waistline, a bit of fringing, a hair piece or a sequinned clutch, like this silver beauty from Topshop. You can even pair it with kitten heels or, yes, flats – as long as they’re glitzy enough to do the Charleston in.

If Gatsby isn’t your style for Christmas celebrations, go for another cliché and treat yourself to a new Christmas jumper. Look for one that has a Christmas pattern in sequins or shiny beads, or wool that has a metallic thread through to give it a bit of sparkle – perfect for early sessions in Old Bar drinking their ‘Winter Warmers.’

If this still doesn’t sound like your cup of eggnog, then what about Christmas day itself? This may be an assumption on my part, but seeing as Christmas is usually spent with your nearest and dearest; it’s a great opportunity to play dress-up.

After the presents have been opened, Christmas must be the biggest en masse pyjama day of the year. Although I love a PJ day as much as the next girl, I always feel this adds to the anti-climax. By the end of the day you’re exhausted, overly full, your hair’s piled up on top of your head and you’ve barely had time to brush your teeth, never mind slick on a bit of mascara. But if you still don’t feel like donning some over the top costume jewellery or an outfit from the mountain of clothes you’ve just unwrapped, a set of silky or sparkly PJ’s is a subtle and still oh-so-comfy way to slob around eating your body weight in Christmas dinner and quality street, while still looking stylishly festive.

I’m not saying try and become an extra on TOWIE or a Desperate Scouse Wife, but Christmas is the only time of year when it is physically impossible to be overdressed. If the family traditions start to get a bit too much and you feel like you’re in need of a little pazzaz, whether it’s a show-stopper dress or a bit of glitter dabbed on top of your lippy, why not go for it?

Likewise with the New Year; the massive build-up, the hopes, the resolutions that will inevitably be broken in less than 3 weeks, the eventual count-down, and then that’s it… flop. However it’s a lot harder to flop when you look as sparkly as the star on top of the now slightly wilting Christmas tree. It’s so easy to shy away from a bit of glitz with stereotypes automatically making us think it’s clichéd, ‘chavvy’ or cheap, but you can’t deny a sequin’s ability to make you feel special, and as long as you feel special, you’re night is always going to be a cracker.